Though she retired from athletic competition in 2000, six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is still all about winning. The former track-and-field superstar is focused on helping young people in her long-struggling hometown
of East St. Louis, Ill., be the best they can be, regardless of the obstacles. She recalls
her own hurdles vividly. When she got involved with sports at age 9, Joyner-Kersee
says, she was hardly a star. “I wasn’t the best girl out there, and that gave me my drive;
I wanted to be the best,” she says. At 14, she watched the 1976 Summer Olympics on
TV and decided then to make becoming an Olympian her goal.

Her college years at UCLA were filled with highs and lows. She excelled at both track
and field and basketball, for which she earned a scholarship. But during that time,
Joyner-Kersee was also diagnosed with asthma and hid the news from her coaches
until she realized it was a disease that could be controlled. Her mother’s sudden death
from meningitis during her freshman year was devastating—but motivated her to keep
striving to honor her mother’s memory.

Having competed in four Olympic Games, Joyner-Kersee now dedicates her time tohelping underprivileged youth in her town. “It’s so important that the young people in thecommunity see me here and that we have a dialogue,” she says. “I want them to knowthat when you work hard in life and you have a dream, there are infinite possibilities.”In 1988, she launched the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which provideseducation, sports, and other programs for youth in the East St. Louis area. Herorganization’s greatest accomplishment was the completion of a much-neededcommunity center on 36 acres of land in 2000. More than a decade later, it remains ahub of activity. “For me, it was a dream come true,” she says.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee never forgets where she came from. TheOlympic track star is committed to making life better for kids.GoingHome toInspireEvery BidCountsSupport the rebuilding ofdevastated communitiesthrough the REALTORS®Relief Foundationonline auction.

When tornadoes, earthquakes,
and wildfires shatter communities,
onlookers wrestle with the terrifying
images and stories. But those disasters
can also appeal to the best impulses
in humankind, triggering America’s
caring sprit and igniting action. The
REALTORS® Relief Foundation stands
ready to provide help in a crisis,
but it depends on the generosity of
REALTORS® to continue that mission.

During the REALTORS® Conference
& Expo, RRF is holding its second
annual silent auction to raise funds and
increase awareness about its e;orts.

You don’t need to attend the
conference to take part. Online bidding
will take place over 48 hours, from
Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. Central time to Nov.

9 at 3 p.m. Anyone can bid from
anywhere via computer or mobile
device. A full 100 percent of donations
go to natural disasters victims in need
of housing-related assistance.

The foundation was launched
after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks. Since then, REALTORS® have
contributed $25 million in mortgage
and temporary housing assistance to
more than 10,000 families a;ected by
42 disasters. This year’s fundraising
goal is $100,000, nearly double the
amount raised last year.